All of our Peru trips are private, you will not be travelling as part of a group.

For the majority of your travels, you'll have your own private guide to give personal insights and tailor the experience to you. Wherever possible, we like to handpick your guide so that we can match you up with the profile that matches your interests, be it more active discovery, or more towards the Inca history. Being independent and having our own dedicated team on the ground in Peru allows us complete flexibility to be able to do this for you.

Crucially, the same guide stays with you throughout your time in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. They get to know you, and can adjust things accordingly. You get to know them and you're not having to make new introductions every couple of days.

The one place where you will have shared excursions most of the time is in the Amazon. The activities there are in small groups, shared with the lodge's other guests.

The best time to visit Peru largely depends on the regions you plan to explore and the specific activities you have in mind. Peru has diverse climates and landscapes, including coastal areas, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon rainforest. Here's a breakdown of the seasons and the ideal times to visit different parts of Peru:

1. Coastal areas (Lima, Paracas, Nazca): - The coastal regions have a mild and dry climate. The best time to visit is during the summer months of December to March when temperatures are warmer and skies are clear. However, it can be foggy and overcast in Lima from May to November.

2. Andes Mountains (Cusco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley): The dry season (May to September) is generally considered the best time to visit this region. June to August is the peak tourist season, with sunny days and cooler temperatures, so our ability to swerve the crowds is at its most valuable here. May and September offer pleasant weather with fewer crowds. The Inca Trail closes during February.

3. Amazon Rainforest: The Amazon experiences high humidity and rainfall throughout the year. The dry(ish) season (May to October) is typically recommended for jungle excursions as there is less rainfall, making wildlife spotting and hiking easier. The wet season (November to April) can be hot and rainy, but it offers lush vegetation and a chance to see swollen rivers and flooded forests.

4. Lake Titicaca: Located in the Andean highlands, Lake Titicaca has a cooler climate. The dry season (May to October) is generally the best time to visit, with clearer skies and comfortable temperatures. June and July can be crowded due to local festivals, but again we do our best to steer you clear of the crowds.

It's important to note that Peru's climate can vary from year to year. But you should consider your priorities and plan accordingly. That's where Pura Aventura's experience comes in handy in planning your vacation (nudge, nudge).

For more specific timings regarding your vacation, simply e-mail us at hola@pura-aventura.com.

Our Peru trips begin in either Lima, the capital or Cusco, the gateway to the Inca heartland.

To/from Lima, you can fly from London with Avianca via Bógota and Air Europa or Iberia via Madrid - there are lots of options. You currently can fly direct to Lima from many major US cities, including Miami, JFK and LAX.

To/from Cusco, again you can fly Avianca via Bógota from London, or via Lima from those same US cities.

This varies from place to place, though you tend to find you'll have a mixture of activity levels on your itinerary. Of course, if you are doing the classic four-day Inca Trail then it'll be ramped up for that section.

In the Amazon activities are mainly gentle - short wildlife walks in the forest or boat trips. The heat and humidity can make it quite intense at times. Lake Titicaca tends to be more about gentle walking on the islands and exploring by boat.

In the Inca heartland (Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Cusco) you are very handsomely rewarded if you can get out and do some walking, though it can be tailored to you as needed. We usually include at least a couple days of hiking, often one taking in ruins and high Andean villages in the Sacred Valley, the other doing the one-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (see below). Whilst these are not too strenuous, reasonable fitness is required and the altitude can make you feel more sluggish.

Of course, there are always ways to dial up or down the activity level though. If you don't think you'll enjoy the walking enough, we can include the train to Machu Picchu. Equally, we can always add more hiking if you are interested. Although there is one famous route to Machu Picchu, the 40,000km Inca Trail network extended as far north as Quito in Ecuador and down to Santiago in Chile. Today, many sections remain as hiking routes and these offer delightfully quiet days of walking.

It takes four days to walk the classic trail. Parts are at quite high altitude and it can be hard going. But for many years it was one of the world's greatest hikes. It still is. Featuring heart-stopping views of snow-capped Andes and ancient Incan ruins, this challenging hike gives a huge sense of achievement to finish and arrive at one of the world's most movingly atmospheric historic sites.

But it has some downsides. Due to that permit system which allows only 500 visitors on the trail each day (plus 200 porters, guides and chefs) everyone ends up grouped together. So the trail can be very busy pretty much all the time. There's this sense of being on a conveyor belt. People begin catching you up if you stop to admire views for too long. It can be a bit stressful. Porters are all dashing to get to the designated campsites each day to get the best spot for their clients' tents. They even try to stop other groups from passing them.

Most nights everyone is camping in the same couple of spots, so the campsites are busy. Winawayna on the final night can be pretty awful. Lots of people stay up all night drinking and talking to get up before sunrise and make the final walk to the Sun Gate for sun up.

The Inca trail is also a pain to organise. Porters don't like it because of the jostling for position. They also have to carry everything. They can't have horses or mules. So it's hard to find good porters and chefs to do the trail. They don't like it.

How we do the Inca Trail

We set off half a day later and stay at different campsites.

That's it! It's so simple, but no one else does it. We set ourselves up behind the throng. That first morning, we take you to see other sites in the Sacred Valley. This is also a great way to learn about the Incan culture that's still very much alive today. It gives you meaningful context before you start the hike.

We set off after an early lunch, well behind the hoard. And we stay in private campsites a half day behind them. We are literally in between two groups of other walkers - one group of 500 is a half day ahead, another half day behind. It's like you're in this little bubble.

We recently had people going in August, one of the busiest times of the year. They hardly saw anyone on the trail. It really feels very isolated. It's a total surprise to get to Machu Picchu, see the site and then reach the village below after your visit and realise it's jammed with people. You'll literally be asking yourself 'Where the heck did they all come from?'

You get a different experience too because you camp in different places. So, for example you wake up at dawn way up high with spectacular views at Llulluchapampa at 3,500 metres with no one else around. This is what the Inca Trail is supposed to be like - getting lost in the majesty of the natural scenery.

And here’s the even better bit. Whilst everyone else gets up before sun-up at Winawayna to head for Machu Picchu, we get up later and arrive just after lunch. It's actually a far better time to arrive for several reasons.

Doing Machu Picchu the right way

There's no question. Arriving on foot is by far the best way to have your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. This way, you arrive through the back door, the Sun Gate, which is three kilometres up the hillside. It's that classic view right across the site with the sugar loaf Huayna Picchu mountain jutting up behind. Up the steps and there it is laid out right in front. There's a real sense of drama This ancient citadel with impossibly steep slopes all around surrounded by a panorama of jutting peaks. You really get a sense of how inaccessible it is, how easily it could have stayed lost for so many centuries.

The problem is that you might struggle to find somewhere to sit and soak it all in if you've walked the classic Inca Trail. You've got up before dawn with 300-odd other people and dashed to reach the Sun Gate entrance for sunrise. And you're all there in a huge pack. Of course, if you've walked it with us, by the time you arrive just after lunch, the hoards have done the site, Many have left because they need to catch the train or bus back to Cusco as that's where they stay that evening.

Arrive at the Sun Gate early afternoon and you can indeed sit in peace and just soak it all in. This is also an epic place late afternoon as the warm light of the setting sun bathes those ancient stones in gold.

For the walkers, there's another option which we think is brilliant. It's called the Royal Inca Trail. It only takes a day and you get that showstopping entrance on foot to Machu Picchu too.

You jump off the train at km 104. It's literally just a kilometre marker, but the train stops for people to alight. This route has its own separate permit system which is handy. For the classic trail, you need several months' notice. For the Royal Trail, you often find permits available for the next week.

You walk a steep zigzag trail up the side of the valley and join the main Inca trail at Winawayna. Most people on the classic trail have their last night here. We set you up here with lunch. You then walk the last few kilometres of the Inca Trail to reach the Sun Gate in the afternoon. Which as you now know, is the ideal time to visit.

The route is only 11km, but it is at altitude with some steep uphill sections. The highest point on the walk is 2,800m. We set a gentle pace with lots of breaks over 6–7 hours. If you enjoy hiking and are generally active in day-to-day life, this will be a moderate hike for you.

As a rule of thumb, in Peru cruises tend to begin from the port city of Iquítos in the north and on the banks of the Amazon River. The best lodges are reached via Puerto Maldonado, in the far south and on the Madre de Dios River. Whilst the allure of visiting the actual Amazon River is strong, the best exploring is done on the narrow creeks and more remote lakes, so it doesn't hold as much value as it may seem.

We've always favoured jungle eco-lodges over the luxury cruises in the Amazon. Whereas in the Galápagos or Antarctica you want to get around a bit for more variety and to reach some of the more remote wildlife, in the Amazon you typically want to stay fairly still. The environment here is so dynamic and so complex that quite frankly you can see something different every time you go out. So there's little need to spend too much time transiting from place to place as you would on a boat, all the while with thick layers of glass and river between you and the jungle.

The main benefit of a cruise is the experience itself. You get an extra veneer of luxury and comfort, as you'll likely be staying in what is essentially a floating four or five star hotel with air conditioning. If you want to sit back and watch the rainforest roll by and then disembark for scheduled activities, then it's great. You do pay a premium to do so though. If you want to properly immerse yourself in the jungle and explore it in greater depth, we think a lodge is the way to go. It does have to be the right one though...

Yes, all of our itineraries can be tweaked and tailored to suit your dates, durations and specific needs. Sometimes we have to juggle dates with you as we only allow one departure a day on most of our trips. This means you don't end up doing the same trip as someone else and keep bumping into them out each day.

Contact us and one of our experts will be happy to help plan your vacation.

We're only an email away on hola@pura-aventura.com if you have any queries.

Or call us tollfree on 1-844-368-7192 if you'd prefer to chat through.